Temporary structures such as tents and the like have long been used for shelter. Anchoring such structures in place using stakes is common practice. The stakes are typically inserted into the ground, so as to capture part of the tent or a tent support. Examples of several prior art tent anchoring stakes and systems follow.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,404,980, issued to Wade, teaches using two straight tent stakes to secure a support bar to the ground. The first stake is inserted from inside the tent outwards through a support bar at a 45 degree angle with respect to the ground. The second stake is inserted from outside the tent at a 45 degree angle with respect to the ground, so as to be generally perpendicular with respect to the first stake. In this invention, removing the ground support bar requires a force large enough to overcome two opposing stakes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,798, issued to Ottenson, teaches a stake having an elongate cylindrical body and a bail, the bail connected to or formed integrally with the body. The stake may be used alone or, to increase the anchoring strength, two stakes can be used together. When two stakes are used together, the first stake is driven into the ground so that a majority of the bail is below ground level. A chain or rope type tent support is connected to and securely retained by the exposed portion of the bail. The second stake is then inserted into the ground such that the bail of the second stake engages the first stake, retaining the second stake in the ground.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,063,567, issued to Martin et al., teaches a tent peg having an elongate body with an aperture and shoulder thereon. The tent peg is driven into the ground at approximately a 45 degree angle. A locking peg or nail is then driven through the aperture in the tent peg into the ground approximately perpendicular to the tent peg until the locking peg abuts the tent peg preventing withdrawal of the tent peg. In Martin, as in Ottenson, only one peg is locked in place and the other peg may be freely retracted.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,983, issued to Lachance et al., teaches an anchoring device comprising two essentially identical stakes with superimposable eyelets and a cross-shaped sliding sleeve member with two tubes, one for receiving each stake. The stakes are inserted into the ground through the tubes approximately perpendicular to each other. The eyelets may then be superimposed and locked with an external means such as a padlock.